Kanli kula, from Ottoman prison to open-air stage

Of Herceg Novi’s three fortresses, Kanli kula is the most visible and the one that has found the best second life. It stands at the northernmost point of the old town, 85 m above the sea, and its name leaves little room for doubt, it means «bloody tower». These days it holds festival audiences rather than prisoners.

A prison with a grim reputation

The tourist board explains that the Ottomans built it in 1539 on the foundations of an older fort, and that during their rule of the town, from 1482 to 1687, it earned its name as a prison. The first written mention dates from 1664, in the travel accounts of Evliya Çelebi. Its old cistern, which eventually fell out of use, ended up serving as a cell. There’s an irony to it. Set in the stone is an inscription reading «pro pace», for peace, which suggests whatever stood here before had a very different purpose.

What you see inside

The plan is irregular, roughly 70 by 60 m, with well-preserved outer walls and towers at the corners. Its present shape is Ottoman work, but the Venetians repaired it after taking the town in 1687 and the Austro-Hungarians left their mark too. Inside are the remains of a cannon with a damaged base and a Turkish inscription, and on the walls you can still pick out drawings of galleys, crosses, dates and coats of arms. Centuries-old graffiti like that interests me far more than any information panel.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Herceg Novi for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

From the 1960 stage to today’s festival

In 1960 the interior was first converted into a summer stage, with 1,000 seats expandable to 1,500 and an amphitheatre the tourist board ranks among the loveliest on the Adriatic. The 1979 earthquake left it almost destroyed, and it was rebuilt in Venetian style, more practical than the original. The Herceg Fest cultural centre notes that in 1987 it hosted the first Yugoslav festival of film direction, forerunner of today’s Herceg Novi Film Festival. It also stages the Guitar Art Fest, the Operosa opera festival, pop and classical concerts and folk shows.

Fitting in a visit

Kanli kula slots easily into a morning in the old town. I’d go in through the clock tower, climb the steps up to the fortress for the view over the rooftops and the mouth of the bay, then head down to Forte Mare by the water. The tourist board’s website gives no hours or ticket price, so if you find it closed for a stage set-up, come back for an evening show. Herceg Fest, the cultural centre behind the Mimosa Festival, also programmes the events at Kanli kula, Forte Mare and Španjola, so its listings are the ones to check. For somewhere to stay nearby, see hotels in Herceg Novi.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Kanli kula on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Herceg Novi for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.